WMC News Brief: Semayana, Abortion Protestor, Pakistan

September 14, 2009

Media Is Failing Semenya
09/14/09
Biz Community, Africa: Mike Hurst, the Australian coach-turned-journalist, says that the information “fell into his lap” and he had no choice but to tell the story. Really? A central pillar of media ethics is to “do no harm.” The harm done by this leak is immeasurable.
Abortion Protester Killed In Shooting Spree
09/11/09
WCPO: A man carrying grudges against several people set off on a shooting spree Friday morning, authorities said, killing an abortion protester outside a high school because he didn't like the activist holding a sign with graphic images of a fetus in front of students.
Pakistan Food Stampede Kills Many
09/14/09
BBC: At least 18 women and children have been killed in a stampede to get free flour in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, officials say.
Fewer And Fewer Trust The Media
09/14/09
Media Life: A new study finds that the public’s trust in the media has hit an all-time low and is down markedly from the last time the study was conducted.
Women's Rights A Priority For Obama Panel
09/13/09
USA Today: A new White House Council on Women and Girls is assessing every government agency to see if its programs do enough to benefit women.
In Health Care Battle, A Truce On Abortion
09/12/09
NY Times: When it comes to health care overhaul, a surprising number of people on both sides of the abortion war have declared a limited truce.
Coakley Faces Tight Funding Window
09/14/09
Boston Globe: Raising big money quickly is the major challenge for Attorney General Martha Coakley, the first candidate out of the box in the three-month primary campaign of the special election to fill the vacant Senate seat of Edward M. Kennedy.
Roundup: Employees Of US Contractor In Afghanistan Accused Of Sex Trafficking
09/11/09
RH Reality Check: U.S. Private Security Contract Firm in Afghanistan Accused of Turning a Blind Eye to Trafficking in Women by Employees.
Mobile Woman Helps Homeless Women With Hands Of Restoration
09/13/09
Alabama Live: When Angelia Lewis designed Hands of Restoration Inc. for homeless and displaced women, she knew what was needed to make them whole again. Twenty years ago, she walked in their shoes.
What Makes A Woman A Woman?
09/11/09
NY Times: Was this another incidence of people calling into question black female athletes’ femininity (the Williams sisters, the basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes)? Was it sexist to assume women were incapable of huge leaps in athletic performance? Should all female athletes be gender-verified, as they were in Olympic competition until 1999?
Yemeni Child Bride, 12, Dies In Labor
09/13/09
CBS: Fawziya Abdullah Youssef died of severe bleeding on Friday while giving birth to a stillborn in the al-Zahra district hospital of Hodeida province, 140 miles west of the capital San'a.
Teen Who 'Caused Own Abortion' Faces Jail
09/11/09
Sky News, UK: A woman said to have caused her own miscarriage using drugs smuggled in from Russia is facing the prospect of jail after being ordered to stand trial in Australia.
Rights-Italy: Trafficking From Nigeria Rises Sharply
09/11/09
Inter Press Service: Human trafficking has become the third biggest source of income for criminal organisations globally, following drug and arms, according to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) published earlier this year. Close to 80 percent of people trafficked, mostly women, are sexually exploited, the report says.
Kids Promote Communal Harmony By Teaching Illiterate Women At Delhi School
09/14/09
Daily India: Children of a school in New Delhi have brought together some illiterate women to educate them, and in the process of doing so the students are also helping bridge gaps between different communities.
Blair's Legacy Squandered As Brown Loses The Women's Vote
09/14/09
The Independent, UK: They were Tony Blair's not-so-secret weapon in his landslide victory in 1997. But now women voters appear to be turning their backs on Labour under his successor Gordon Brown.
Screening Raises Ovarian Cancer Survival Rates
09/13/09
Women's eNews: Two-thirds of ovarian cancer patients die of this disease. During National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in September, health advocates are pushing for better screening to catch the disease while it's still treatable.
9/11 Film Review OF Amreeka: Drama OF THE Christian-Arab Experience IN America Also Strikes Notes OF Heart AND Humor
09/11/09
Huffington Post: A new film by first-time, feature-length director and writer Cherien Dabis, from whom I feel certain we will see more exciting film-making.
‘Sex And The City’ Writer Launches Web Series
09/10/09
Wall Street Journal: Candace Bushnell, the writer who made Manolo Blahniks and cosmopolitans a part of every woman’s vocabulary, is bringing her female-driven stories to the Web in a four-part series called “The Broadroom.”
Tina Fey Wins Creative Arts Emmy As Palin For 'SNL'
09/13/09
NJ Star Ledger: Fey won her award as guest actress in a comedy category for her spoof as Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live."
Kim Clijsters' U.S. Open Title Is Family-Friendly
09/14/09
LA Times: Unseeded Belgian celebrates her unlikely victory with her husband and young daughter, bringing a needed jolt of joy to Ashe Stadium a night after Serena Williams' meltdown.
Don’t Be Afraid Of The Black Girl: Serena Williams
09/13/09
New America Media: What happened Saturday during the women’s semifinals at the U.S. Open between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters is just another example of how black women are still seen as threatening and hostile.
Semenya: Women's Ministry Writes To UN
09/14/09
Independent Online, South Africa: The South African government has written to the United Nations to investigate whether athlete Caster Semenya has been treated in line with its protocols on gender and equality.
Women In Mixed Martial Arts: Fighting For Equality Part II
09/13/09
Chicago Now: The growth of mixed martial arts has aided in giving women a respectful platform.